Well, yeah, I don't think anyone quite gets the Lily treatment because, even if woobiefication happens in every fandom, Snapefen are really REALLY special about it. DX I have seen the idea that if he'd stuck around he could have made Starscream see the light because he's just a poor woobie who can't escape Megatron's influence, which... ahahahaha no. Starscream is perfectly happy being a bad guy, fandom.
Do fans say that Skyfire is completely at fault for forcing Starscream to join the Decepticons? ... sort of? Bit of backstory, since you haven't seen G1: Once Upon A Time before the war, they were both good guys, and they traveled around space doing research and exploring. During one of these trips Skyfire crashed on Earth, Starscream did his best to find him but eventually ended up believing he was dead. At some point in the nine million years that passed until the 'Cons accidentally find Skyfire on Earth (and with no idea there's even a war going on, poor guy), Starscream turned into a bad guy and joined the Decepticons. G1 being an '80s cartoon and all, it's pretty bad with backstory, so we have no idea of how or why that happened. Starscream himself says it's much more exciting than being a scientist and while he's not exactly trustworthy, he had no reason to lie about it at the time. And we know he doesn't exactly angst about his choices, anyway.
Cue certain sectors of fandom saying that losing Skyfire singlehandedly turned poor, sweet Starscream into a Jerkass Woobie. (I've even seen fic where Skyfire himself feels responsible for "not being there for him" or something. Ugh ugh ugh way to kill his personality guys. DX) Anyway. Apart from sucking out all of the fun in Starscream's character, you know why this theory bothers me? TFA!Sentinel, that's why. I don't say anyone saying "But he lost Elita! No wonder the poor woobie is a jerk!" And Sentinel, at least, is a jerk who didn't join the Decepticons.
... and I'm starting to sound like I hate Starscream. XD I obviously don't! Just certain sectors of fandom, really. At least there are also lots of people who like him for the unredeemable, hilarious loser he is.
But yeah, it's not that there isn't any good fic about Skyfire or Starscream/Skyfire, I've found that kind too. But there are so many people who apparently like him and yet turn him into a doormat. Gaah.
wow, I really get tl;dr about these two
Do fans say that Skyfire is completely at fault for forcing Starscream to join the Decepticons?
... sort of? Bit of backstory, since you haven't seen G1: Once Upon A Time before the war, they were both good guys, and they traveled around space doing research and exploring. During one of these trips Skyfire crashed on Earth, Starscream did his best to find him but eventually ended up believing he was dead. At some point in the nine million years that passed until the 'Cons accidentally find Skyfire on Earth (and with no idea there's even a war going on, poor guy), Starscream turned into a bad guy and joined the Decepticons. G1 being an '80s cartoon and all, it's pretty bad with backstory, so we have no idea of how or why that happened. Starscream himself says it's much more exciting than being a scientist and while he's not exactly trustworthy, he had no reason to lie about it at the time. And we know he doesn't exactly angst about his choices, anyway.
Cue certain sectors of fandom saying that losing Skyfire singlehandedly turned poor, sweet Starscream into a Jerkass Woobie. (I've even seen fic where Skyfire himself feels responsible for "not being there for him" or something. Ugh ugh ugh way to kill his personality guys. DX) Anyway. Apart from sucking out all of the fun in Starscream's character, you know why this theory bothers me? TFA!Sentinel, that's why. I don't say anyone saying "But he lost Elita! No wonder the poor woobie is a jerk!" And Sentinel, at least, is a jerk who didn't join the Decepticons.
... and I'm starting to sound like I hate Starscream. XD I obviously don't! Just certain sectors of fandom, really. At least there are also lots of people who like him for the unredeemable, hilarious loser he is.
But yeah, it's not that there isn't any good fic about Skyfire or Starscream/Skyfire, I've found that kind too. But there are so many people who apparently like him and yet turn him into a doormat. Gaah.